Summary of Madame BovaryÂ
Emma is the young daughter of a wealthy farmer in Normandy. Prone to romanticism and fond of sentimental novels, she grows up with idealised notions of love and happiness. When she marries Charles Bovary, a kind-hearted but rather dull country doctor in the village of Tostes, she hopes marriage will bring her the passion and refinement she dreams of. However, she soon discovers that married life falls short of her expectations. A move to the slightly larger village of Yonville and the birth of her daughter offer only temporary distraction. To escape her growing sense of emptiness and boredom, she begins spending extravagantly on credit and seeks love outside her marriage. Throughout it all, her husband remains blissfully unaware and devoted to her.
Reasons to read Madame BovaryÂ
“Madame Bovary”, the debut novel by Gustave Flaubert, is one of the most celebrated and influential works of nineteenth-century French literature. Upon its publication, Flaubert was prosecuted for obscenity and immorality due to his portrayal of adultery and female desire. He was acquitted, and the novel quickly became a bestseller. A landmark of literary realism, “Madame Bovary” depicts the ordinary life of a woman trapped by her illusions and by the limitations of her world. The story was partly inspired by the real-life figure Delphine Delamare. Other notable works by Flaubert include “Sentimental Education”, “Salammbô”, and “Three Tales”.
Setting: Normandy (France)
Book set in France: Yonville-l’Abbaye (a fictional village in Normandy, inspired by the real village of Ry), Tostes, Rouen – all in Normandy.
Original title: Madame Bovary
Year of publication: 1856 – 1857
Nr of pages: 384
